Dilemmas
by Blondala
Summary: Pam gets a phone call that changes everything. JAM and POBY collide in my first angst fic. *Now Complete!
1. A Failed Attempt

I know I should probably be focusing on Business Ethics, but I'm not in a comedy kind of mood right now

I know I should probably be focusing on Business Ethics, but I'm not in a comedy kind of mood right now. I promise, Chapter 3 will be up by Friday, but this idea hit me a few days ago and you all know how I can get when an idea hits me…I have to get it out…

This may be just a teaser for a future story, but the rest will come eventually.

I do not own The Office, but if I did, Michael would not be going to Jan's stupid Lamaze classes, and Jim and Pam would be engaged already.

Pam sat on the park bench, thinking. It was as if her whole life had led up to this moment. Taking the job at Dunder Mifflin, breaking up with Roy, that pathetic speech she made while her feet simmered at Scranton beach, even that little note she left for Jim when she thought she'd never see him again…She had never actually thought it could end up this well, even if she had secretly hoped it ever since he told her that her mixed Berry yogurt had expired. But here they were, sitting on the park bench, not needing to say a word.

She inched closer to Jim. This was much, much more that just a simple conquest, even if she felt some satisfaction on that level. After all of the setbacks, here they were. Everything was working out. Even though she would be leaving soon, she knew that Jim would always be there.

Jim turned slowly to face her. "Hey…"

God, she loved that voice. There was something about that voice that was just so…uplifting. She couldn't describe it. She turned to him.

"Hey…" she said back to him, slowly, sweetly, trying to make it seem like she had been lost in thought and he had woken her up from it and brought her back to this moment. She had been lost in thought, but her mind had been in the moment the whole time.

"So, I was wondering…"

"Yes?" She said, trying to control the excitement that had suddenly bubbled up in her stomach. She had been waiting for this for what seemed like forever. She thought it was coming at Toby's going away party, but, unfortunately, the moment slipped away.

"You know how I hate making a jackass out of myself…"

"Oh, Jim, you never make a jackass out of yourself. You make a jackass out of Dwight."

"Right, right…" She loved how he never rejected what she said. "Anyway, just wondering…"

"Yeah…?"

"If I asked you to marry me, would you say yes?" Oh my God. This was it.

_Quick, Pam, think of something funny to say. Wait, no, you have to say yes! Say yes, make it funny, and don't look like an idiot!_ How did people in movies make up snappy responses so fast? It just made no sense.

"Well…"

"Well?"

"Well, if it was right after a candlelit dinner or…" she looked around, "On a park bench, watching the sunset, then I'd probably say yes, but…"

"But?"

"But if, say, I woke up tied down in your car and you explained how you had axe-murdered someone in a drunken rampage and that we were escaping to Canada and that, while we're there, we may as well get married, I'd have to turn you down…"

"Damn," said Jim. "There goes that plan." Pam laughed. Good ol' Jim always knew the right thing to say.

"Anyway," said Jim, "I guess that begs the question…"

"Yes?" Oh my God, this was it. Pam braced herself.

"Will you…will you hold my spot on the bench, because I really need to use the bathroom."

Not always.

Pam was furious, and even though she knew it was stupid, she knew exactly why.

"Why do you always do that?" Jim's smile faded. She could tell that he sensed her anger.

"Pam, I'm sorry, I…"

"You what?" She couldn't stop herself now. She felt the hot tears rolling down her cheeks. She knew she was overreacting, yet, somehow, she didn't feel like she was.

Jim's silence bothered her. "Are you even going to propose, ever? Or do you just like leading me on?"

Jim looked at her blankly, as if he was stunned. "Of course, I'm going to, it's just…"

"Just what, Jim?" he didn't respond. She stood up. She was too furious to say anything more. She turned on her heel and ran out of the park, into the newly dark night.

"Pam, wait!" Jim called out to her, but it was too late. She was gone. He looked down at his pant leg, and reached into his pocket. Even though he knew she couldn't possibly see it, he pulled out the little black box.

"I really was going to…" He stopped, realizing he was talking to himself. He put the ring back in his pocket, stood up, and walked home, his hand in his pocket gripping the box the whole time.

Mucho Much more angsty than what I'm used to writing…Please review! More chapters coming later in the Summer! (After I finish Business Ethics. And, of course, after I get out of school. It's just not fair, keeping us in this long!)


	2. Regrets

Alright, here I am again

Alright, here I am again. I updated Business Ethics, so now I can indulge myself with non-fluffiness.

Also, thanks to my reviewers and to those who put a story alert of this. However, if you like it enough to put a story alert on it, could you please just take a moment or two to review? Thanks. I appreciate it.

Once again, I own nothing. I don't own The Office, I don't own The Simpsons, and I don't own telephones, but I own one of them.

Pam ran to the bathroom and splashed her face with cool water. She watched each little droplet run down her cheeks. She wasn't really crying anymore, but her eyes were still red and puffy. The tiny little touch of mascara she put on for her date with Jim marked the area under her eyes. She washed it off with a towel, then took out her contact lenses. She reached for her backup glasses, the ones that she kept at home, and put them on, slowly.

Pam flopped down on her couch and reached for the remote. She grabbed it and flipped channels until she heard a familiar voice saying, "D'oh!" Her face broke out in a little half-smile. The Simpsons had gotten her through a lot. Maybe they could help her with this.

She didn't understand it. She knew Jim was a prankster by nature. In fact, that was one of the things that drew her to him. So why had she gotten so upset at his fake proposal? It was going to happen eventually. But still, joking about it and never actually doing it just struck her as so…so…

Roy-ish. That's what it was. Roy never wanted to set a date for the wedding. By the time he finally did, it was too late. One of the reasons she had fallen for Jim was that he wasn't anything like Roy. This just came as a slap in the face.

Pam sighed. It really wasn't Jim's fault. He probably just wanted it to be more of a surprise when he did propose. And she had never actually told him that all of the fakes bothered her. Still, the uneasiness brought on by the realization of Jim's Roy-like behavior remained.

She looked at the phone. She thought of calling Jim, of telling him that she was sorry for her overreaction and that she wasn't mad at him. But she couldn't do it. She was mad at him, for reasons she couldn't explain.

From the television, Pam heard Marge's trademark growl. In her head, however, the battle raged on.

_You can't be mad at him for not proposing._

_But he keeps joking about it. I'm starting to think it'll never happen._

_It'll happen. Relax. He's doing this to make you laugh._

_Well, he's not doing a very good job._

The battle continued like this for some time. Pam could feel herself getting tired. Maybe all she needed was some sleep. She closed her eyes, and let the world around her fade away.

A sudden ring woke her up from her much-needed sleep. A second ring, and she knew she wasn't dreaming. She sprung up from the couch and reached for the phone. Chances were, it was Jim, calling to apologize. What would she say? Of course, she would have to apologize too. This whole thing was mainly her fault, anyway. Still, she decided that if Jim had an apology for her, she would accept it, and if he didn't, well…

She picked up the phone. "Hello?" she said, groggily.

"Hi, Pam," said a familiar voice. It wasn't Jim. She knew who it was.

"Toby…?"

I know it's short, but it was mostly thoughts. The next chapter will have more actual action in it, I promise. That is, if you review. You are officially being held ransom, and when I reach my secret ransom number of reviews, I will post chapter 3 (or at least, finish writing it. I'll start tomorrow, when I'm not sick anymore.) Mwah-ha-ha-ha-ha!


	3. The Call

Hi everyone. Here's chapter 3. To my wonderful, amazing reviewers, I have to say thank you. My secret ransom has been reached. However, for the next chapter, it will be even higher. I've noticed that a lot of people have put alerts on this story but are yet to review. If you are one of the people who has an alert on this story but has not review, please do, and please give me some constructive criticism, not just an, "OMG!". Thanks. I really appreciate it.

Oh, and by the way, my best friend, DragonWingedHanyou, is going to camp tomorrow. She's really nervous. She writes fan fictions for Inu Yasha and Twilight. If you could please read and review her stories so that she has something to look forward to when she gets back, it would be much appreciated by both of us. Thank you.

Enough stalling. I'll get to the story now. Also, I do not own the Office, although I watch it, Telephones, although I do need to make a call on one when I'm done here, or Solitaire, although I do suck at it.

* * *

"Yeah. Hi, Pam," he said again.

"Toby, hi, I…I wasn't expecting you to call…what's up?"

"Well, not much, I guess I just wanted to say hi." That's odd. Why would he call from Costa Rica and pay all of those long distance charges just to say hi? Unless…

"Toby, I thought you were in Costa Rica."

"Well, I was going to go, but I had some stuff to take care of here. So I'm here for a couple of weeks." That explained it.

"Oh," said Pam. There wasn't much to say. The last time she had seen Toby, they were taking a photo together. But that had been three months ago.

"So, what's new?"

Pam sighed. "Too much, not enough." It was the only honest answer.

"How come?"

How would she explain this? Did she _want_ to explain this? What she knew she needed more than anything right now was to talk to someone who was completely uninvolved. But still, it seemed like every time she said anything about Jim in front of Toby, he would start to act…weird. Like he really didn't want to hear about Jim. She never really knew why.

"It's kind of hard to explain." That would have to do.

"That's okay." Pam relaxed. There had always been something soothing about Toby.

"Thanks," she said.

"Hey, Pam?"

"Yeah?"

"It sounds like you have a lot on your mind. I'm in town, so if you want to meet somewhere and talk about it…"

"I don't know…" Was he asking her out? No, he couldn't be. He just wanted to talk, that was all.

"Well, we don't have to talk about just that…" he said. He obviously really wanted to meet. "I haven't really had contact with anyone from the office, so maybe you could tell me any Michael stories I might have missed."

Pam laughed. "That's right, you've missed a lot, haven't you?"

"I don't know. I was hoping you could tell me." Pam giggled again. He had no idea.

"Well, you have, trust me."

"Okay, then. So can we get coffee sometime this week?"

"Uh…sure." It didn't count as a date. They were just friends. They would meet, catch up with each other, drink coffee, and then go home.

"Does next Wednesday sound good?" Wednesday. That was usually date night with Jim. But if they met in the afternoon, she would still have time to get ready.

"Uh, sure."

"Great. Five thirty?"

"Sure."

"Great, Pam. Can't wait."

"Me neither." She hung up. Pam smiled to herself. Maybe things weren't _so_ bad.

…

Jim sat at his desk. Pam sat at hers. Things had been pretty quiet so far this week. Michael had made a couple of bad That's What She Said© jokes, mimed killing Dwight with a chain saw, and spent three hours a day on "business calls" in his office, when everyone knew he was really talking to Jan, who was having some hormonal mood-swings, or "little bursts of crazy," as Michael liked to call them.

The phone rang. Jim turned his head to face Pam as she answered it.

"Dunder Mifflin, this is Pam."

He couldn't believe that after Friday, he would have to hear a different voice say that for three whole months. Even worse was the fact that the owner of that voice was mad at him. He decided that as soon as the call was over, he would go up to Pam's desk and apologize, even if he wasn't exactly sure what he was apologizing for. He just knew he screwed up somehow, and he wanted to make things right.

"Hold on, I'll transfer you." Michael's phone rang. Jim watched him pick it up, then run to shut the door to his office. It was probably Jan.

Meanwhile, Pam was deeply absorbed in her game of Solitaire. She loved the way the cards lined up perfectly with each other. Whenever she tried to play it manually, without the computer, the cards always ended up flying all over the place. She loved the sound the cards made when they flew into the corner. And she especially loved the fact that it gave her an excuse to ignore the world completely. She never felt guilty, because she knew that chances were, everyone except for Dwight, Angela, and Kelly were doing the exact same thing. Dwight would be working, Angela would be working, and Kelly would be looking up celebrity gossip on the Internet.

"Hey, Pam." She looked up. There was Jim, looking at her with that half-smile she had come to love. It was so hard being mad at him.

"Hey," she said, coolly. She turned back to her game.

"Listen, I just wanted to apologize for what happened Sunday night." Pam looked up again.

"Really?"

Jim looked her in the eyes. "Look, I know I shouldn't joke about proposals as much as I do. Really, I'm just trying to make you laugh."

Pam knew that. "Sometimes it seems like you never actually propose."

"Pam, I…" He stopped, regained his composure, and continued. "It's coming, I swear. I just have a few little details to work out."

"All right." She looked up at him. He bent down and kissed her, just a little one. She smiled at him meekly.

"I love you," he said.

"I love you too." He walked back to his desk and opened up the window he had minimized. He was, of course, playing Solitaire.

Pam looked at her own computer. She realized that she only had one move left, and that once she moved, it was game over. No fireworks would come, just the little beige box that asked if she wanted to try again. Pam closed the window. Somehow, she didn't feel any better about Jim. He said it was coming, but when? She wondered how he didn't see the Royish-ness of what he was doing.

Five o'clock came, slowly as it did any other day. Pam grabbed her coat and started to leave. Jim stood up and grabbed her arm gently.

"I really am sorry, Pam."

"I know." She wanted to say it was all right. She wanted to say that she was sorry too. But she couldn't. It simply wasn't true.

"I guess I'll see you at seven, then?"

"Oh, right, yeah. Can't wait." She hugged Jim, then went out the door, down the elevator, and out onto the street. She got her car, but instead of driving to her apartment, she drove the other way, towards the coffee shop.

* * *

Please review. My new ransom is that I must have 5 new reviews, or 10 total, before I update this story again. Sorry, but I really would like some constructive criticism so that I know how to make chapter 4 even better.


	4. First Date

Hello again. I've noticed that a lot of you are Toby-haters. In that case, you guys are going to _hate_ this chapter. Just warning you. Please take the time to read and review. I know I say this every time, but still, I love reading reviews, even the ones that criticize.

I'm out of school!

I don't own The Office, but I do own a Michael Scott's Dunder Mifflin Scranton Meredith Palmer Memorial Celebrity Rabies Awareness Pro-Am Fun Run Race For The Cure T-Shirt. I don't own coffee, but I do drink it occasionally. I don't own Milky Way bars, but I do eat too many of then on Halloween.

* * *

Pam parked her car on the street near the coffee shop. Looking in the rear-view mirror, she opened her purse, grabbed her makeup bag, and put on just the tiniest bit of mascara. After deciding that doing anything more than that would make it seem too date-like, she got out of the car and walked into the coffee shop. As she walked in, she waved to Toby, who was sitting at a table by the window, waiting for her.

"Pam," he said, standing up to greet her. "It's great to see you. Hi."

"Hi, Toby," she said. "It's great to see you, too." She smiled. It really was great to see him.

"So, uh, you want me to get you your coffee? I got mine already." He gestured to a steaming disposable cup sitting on the table.

"No, thanks. I'll get it."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, but thanks anyway."

"All right. You go up, then. I'll wait." Pam turned to wait in line. Toby sat down in his seat and sipped his coffee.

"I'm back," she said as she sat down in the seat across from Toby, coffee in hand.

"Great," said Toby. He put down his coffee and looked at her as she sipped hers. "So, what's new with Michael?"

Pam laughed. "Well, he's suddenly gone all, 'fatherhood' on us. He's fantasizing out loud about taking his- well, Jan's- kid to the park and playing baseball. It's pretty hilarious. He's obviously never played in his life. He thinks the batter's cage is where they lock up players who hit someone with the bat."

Toby laughed. Suddenly, his expression turned to slight shock. "Wait. Jan's pregnant?"

Pam smiled. He certainly had been gone a long time. "Yeah. Pretty far along, actually."

Toby chuckled. "Well, I guess Michael's finally getting that kid he wanted."

"It's not his," Pam explained. "He's just trying to be its father. It's kind of pathetic to watch, actually."

"So if it's not his, who's is it?"

"Well, Jan says it's a donor, but…we have our doubts."

Toby laughed again. "How's Holly adapting to all the…insanity?"

"Pretty well, actually," Pam said. "Michael doesn't really talk about Jan with her. He just sort of smiles." Pam imitated one of Michael's smitten smiles, which made Toby chuckle.

"I guess he doesn't hate _all _HR people, just me," said Toby.

"Well, I don't see why he would hate you at all. I guess it's just because you did your job." Toby looked up at that face, those eyes.

"Thanks, Pam," he said. He looked at her for a second, sitting there, across from him, smiling. He opened his mouth to say something and closed it. A moment later, he opened his mouth again.

"You've said so much about Michael. What's up with you?" Pam looked up from her coffee. Of course. He had wanted to talk. Now she had to talk.

"Well, a lot of stuff, really…I go to the Pratt School of Design on Monday."

Toby smiled. "Good for you, Pam. I always knew you could do it, and now you are." Pam smiled.

"Other than that, not that much, except for some stuff with Jim…" It had slipped out. She regretted saying it. She could see Toby tense up, like he always did whenever Jim was mentioned.

"Like what?" Toby asked, almost choking on his words.

"Nothing, really, he just jokes around a little too much, that's all…" She realized how silly it sounded.

Toby reached out and cupped her hand. "Don't worry about him. Everything will be fine."

Pam looked at her hand, the one that Toby was holding, ever so gently. She tried not to stare, which she was sure would give the impression that she wanted him to remove his hand. She didn't. Not really.

They sat like that, talking, and neither of them really knew how much time was passing. Once they had finished their coffee, Pam stood up, followed by Toby.

"It was really nice seeing you, Toby." Toby looked around slowly, then back at her.

"Hey, Pam, you want to see a movie or something like that?"

Pam looked up at him. She answered honestly. "I'd love to, Toby, but I have to meet Jim at seven, and it's…" she checked her watch. "Oh, shit. It's six thirty."

"Already?" Pam nodded. "Wow, time sure does fly."

They walked out onto the street together. Pam waved goodbye, then went towards her car. Suddenly, she heard Toby's voice from behind her.

"Hey, Pam?" She turned back around and walked back to him.

"I really did love seeing you, Pam. I feel like we've been totally out of touch the last three months."

Pam smiled shyly. "It does feel that way, doesn't it?" Before she could say another word, Toby leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. He pulled back to see Pam, slightly shocked but still smiling. Suddenly, Pam's expression turned to panic. She reached down and checked her watch again. It was six forty-five.

"Crap," said Pam. She looked up at Toby apologetically. "I have to go. Now."

"That's okay, Pam," said Toby. "Hey, we should do this again sometime."

Pam relaxed. "Sure," she said. She had fun. She could do this again.

"Great. How about Friday? Before you leave."

"Sure. Sounds great."

"I'll pick you up at seven?"

"That works."

"Great." Toby smiled. Pam checked her watch again. Six forty-seven.

"I really have to go now," she said. "Bye, Toby." She waved, then walked to her car, got inside, and drove away.

...

Halfway home, at exactly seven-oh-one, it finally hit her:

_Oh my god, I kissed Toby Flenderson._

_..._

Pam arrived at her building at seven fourteen. She bolted out of the car, raced to the elevator, and tapped her toes while she waited for the dreadfully slow machine to bring her to the third floor. She then ran out of the elevator and down the hallway, where she saw Jim at her doorstep, ringing the bell for what must have been the tenth time.

"Jim," she said. He turned to look at her. She was panting, and her hair was disheveled. She was a mess.

"Where were you?" he asked. "I've been waiting for fifteen minutes."

"Sorry," she panted. She knew she couldn't tell him what had actually happened. "I realized I was out of milk, so I drove to the store but the lines were ridiculous. After waiting for, like, half an hour, I realized what time it was. I put down the milk and drove here so fast I'm lucky I didn't get pulled over."

Jim chuckled. "Wow, Beesly. All that for some milk?"

Pam smiled mischievously. "Can't have my morning coffee without it." Inside, something jolted her. Had she really just lied to Jim? More importantly, had she really just _enjoyed_ lying to Jim?

Jim smiled at her. "Well, you're here now, so let's go…unless you want to straighten up a little first." He was looking at her hair. She realized how messed up it must have been.

"I can do that. Sure we won't miss our reservation?"

"Pam, honestly, if I had even made a reservation, we would have missed it by now."

Pam looked at her feet. "I'm really sorry," she said. "It won't happen again."

Jim smiled even wider. "What are you, a ten-year-old kid who broke a vase? Relax, Beesly. I'm not going to ground you."

Pam smiled. "I know," she said. She fished the keys out of her bag and opened the door to her apartment. She then turned to Jim.

"Why don't you come in," she suggested to him. "I mean, come on. You've been standing for fifteen minutes."

"Twenty, actually, if you count the five we just spent chatting." Jim followed her inside.

...

Jim dropped Pam off at the doorstep of the apartment building later that night. Just as she was about to go inside, he grabbed her hand.

"Look, Pam, I'm really sorry about what happened." They had gone to the office that night. Jim had let them in with the spar e key he had swiped from Dwight's desk. They sat on the rooftop, laughing. Suddenly, Jim had asked Pam to wait while he got something that he had been "meaning to give her" out of his pocket. She was almost positive that this was it. He had reached into his pocket, and pulled out…a Milky Way bar. Pam was furious, but wasn't about to let on. She told him that she simply wasn't hungry. After a few minutes of Jim trying to persuade her to eat the candy bar, he finally just put it back into his pocket. Pam had been bitter the whole rest of the night.

"It's okay," said Pam. "I guess I don't really have a reason to be mad at you." That was partially true; she didn't have a reason to be mad at him. But it wasn't okay.

"Yeah, I still can't believe I got us pulled over." So that's what he was talking about. On the way back, Jim had been going about five miles over the speeding limit. A cop had pulled him over and lectured him for about ten minutes while Pam sat in the car. Jim had no idea what he was really supposed to be sorry for, Pam realized.

"Oh, it's not your fault," said Pam, slightly bitterly and, frankly, a little disappointed. "I mean, five miles is almost nothing. I guess he was just…"

"Yeah," said Jim, awkwardly.

"Well," said Pam, "This was great. I guess I should be getting upstairs. Work tomorrow, you know?"

"Oh, yeah," said Jim. "Right."

"I'll see you tomorrow," said Pam.

"Okay. I'll see you," said Jim. Pam turned to leave. As she walked into the building, she tried very hard to pretend that she couldn't hear Jim's voice saying "I love you." She knew that if he knew she heard it, she would have to say it back. And right now, she wasn't exactly sure if it was true.

Jim sighed. He stepped onto the street and started to walk towards his car. He reached into his pocket and grabbed the Milky Way bar that he had offered to Pam. In the glare of the streetlights, he realized how obvious it was that he had resealed the package. He thumbed over the candy bar, trying to find the little bump that signified where he had hidden the ring.

_Oh, well,_ he thought. _There goes the ring-in-the-candy-bar trick._

He put the bar back in his pocket, got in his car, and drove home.

* * *

I realize that my ransom for the last chapter was pretty high, considering it consisted of only a phone call and some work chatter. Therefore, I posted this before ransom was met. However, you will not be so lucky with the next chapter. Ransom for chapter 5 is set at 4 reviews, or 12 total. Read and review or you will never find out what happens before 7:00 on Friday that changes EVERYTHING!!


	5. Voicemail

Hi everyone. I was away this weekend and not able to see that my amazing, wonderful reviewers left me not 4, but 5(!) reviews! Keep it up, people!

I don't own The Office, but I can play the theme song on the piano. (Fairly well, I may add.) I don't own cell phones, but I get annoyed by people who shout into them in public places.

* * *

Pam flopped down on the couch, wearing the Scrantonicity concert T-shirt that Kevin gave out. (She had washed it about 5 times before bringing it inside. It was the only clean one she could find.) Even by Scranton branch standards, it had been quite a day.

It started off normal enough. Michael walked out of his office, bored, and started teasing her and Jim about why they both happened to be late that morning. Pam tried to point out that they had both been stuck in the same traffic jam and that nothing had happened the night before. Still, she saw that Jim had been offered several high fives from Andy and Kevin, and that she was getting some glares from Angela, who in turn would get a glare from Phyllis and lower her head. At about one o'clock, Michael asked her to get a book he had left in the conference room. (_Bridget Jones's Diary, _allegedly so that he could "understand women better.") The blinds were down and the door was closed, so Pam knocked on the door. She was glad she didn't open it. She heard a few gasps, what sounded like Dwight and Angela whispering furiously, and a few zipper sounds. Angela didn't look at her at all after that. To top it all off, Jan came completely clean and told Michael that she hadn't gone to a donor, and that the real father was Hunter, her former assistant, which everyone in the office had suspected for months. Michael spent an hour crying in his office, then begged Pam to try to set him up with her landlady again. Pam spent the rest of the day playing solitaire, and pretending to have to answer the phone whenever Jim looked like he was going to go up and talk to her. She really didn't want to have to look him in the eye when she knew that later that night, she would be going to dinner with Toby.

Pam looked at the clock. Almost six o'clock. Break time over. She got up, and went to her bedroom to get dressed.

_Now,_ thought Pam, eyeing the organized chaos that was her closet. _What should I wear?_ She pulled out the periwinkle blue dress that she only wore on the most special occasions. She hadn't worn it in what seemed like forever. Suddenly, realizing when she had last worn it, she put it back in the closet. She pulled out a basic black skirt and white v-neck top. It would have to do.

She looked at the clock. Six fifteen. She would have about half an hour to do her hair and makeup, then another fifteen minutes for finishing touches. Perfect. After looking in the mirror to make sure that the skirt didn't look too frumpy, she went to the bathroom and pulled out her curling iron.

At exactly six thirty-two, Pam's cell phone rang from the bottom of her purse. But Pam was curling her hair and didn't hear it. It rang five times, then the call went to voicemail.

…

About a mile away, Jim sighed. This had been the third time he'd tried and failed to reach her that night. He heard the automated voicemail message, then the beep that signified that he was allowed to talk. He took a deep breath. Even if she couldn't hear him as he said it, it had to be said.

…

At six fifty, Pam opened her purse to make sure everything she needed for the night was in there. Wallet, keys, hand wipes, phone, she had everything. Then, as she was closing her bag, she heard a short beep coming from the phone. She picked it up, and saw that on the screen, it read, "New Voicemail." Oh, well, she thought. She had ten minutes before Toby came. She could listen. She pressed "listen now", dialed her password, and pressed the phone to her ear.

"You have one new message." Pam rolled her eyes. She _knew_ she had a new message; that's why she was checking voicemail. Did they have to remind her?

"Hey, Pam, it's Jim." Oh my God. Jim.

"Listen, I'm calling because, well, you seemed kind of off at work today, and I just wanted to make sure everything was all right…" Was he really calling just to check on her? Roy would never have done that. Maybe he wasn't being so Roy-ish. She pressed the phone closer to her ear and kept listening.

"Look, I know I shouldn't have been joking around about proposing." She heard a small chuckle. "This is the part where I would usually try to explain myself, but I just can't. I was…I was being an ass. I really can't think of a better way to say it" Pam giggled.

"Pam," he continued, "I really want this to work between us. I love you, and if this was it for us, I'd regret it for the rest of my life." Pam was speechless. She knew he meant it when he said he loved her, but it still felt great after wanting to hear him say it for so many years. In that moment, she realized she felt the exact same way about him.

"I have to go. Anyway, I hope I catch you before you go to New York. There was something I wanted to ask you Wednesday. I don't think I can say it over the phone, but…yeah. So, call me back. Bye." Pam couldn't believe it. She didn't even have to wonder what he wanted to ask her. He really meant it. She smiled, and hung up the phone before the automated message could ask her whether she wanted to keep it or erase it. She had to call him back. She dialed the area code, then the first three digits of his number, and as she was trying to remember that fourth digit she always had a hard time with, the doorbell rang.

Toby.

* * *

I know some people hate cliff hangers. Too bad. I hope that last chapter was somewhat worth the ransom. New ransom set at 4 new reviews, or a total of 17. You can do it!


	6. Second Date

Wow

Wow! My reviewers rock. Seriously, guys, I love reading your reviews. You guys are motivating me to finish this thing. (Which is great, because I almost never finish.)

This chapter was almost impossible to finish, just letting you know. So I hope you like it!

Alright, alright, I know you're all dying to find out how Pam handles her imminent "date" with Toby. No more stalling. Here we go.

I do not own The Office, nor do I own cars, easily misplaced handbags, couches, restaurants, Barbie dolls, and the like.

* * *

Pam answered the door. Standing there was Toby, as she had expected. He was well dressed; he had taken care to make sure that his tie complimented his shirt and that his belt worked with his shoes. His hair was neatly combed. He had worked hard to look presentable.

"Hey, Pam," he said. Pam stared blankly for a moment, then snapped out of her trance.

"Hi, Toby," she said.

"I brought these for you," he said. He pulled out a bouquet of pink roses. Pam gasped. There was no way she could accept them.

"They're…they're beautiful, Toby, but…"

"Here," he said. He put them in her hand. She couldn't _not _accept them, but she couldn't take them and dump him later. Still, she had to do one or the other.

"Thanks, Toby," she said half-heartedly. Why did Toby have to be so sweet? If he was a bad guy, this would be so much easier. But he was a nice man. She didn't want to crush him. She took the flowers and put them on a small table near the door.

"Ready to go?" He was obviously eager. He had obviously looked forward to this.

"Toby, I…" she looked him in the eyes. Those eyes were sad enough most of the time; she didn't want to be the one to make them any sadder.

"Yeah, I'm ready. Let me get my bag." She picked up her bag, a basic black handbag with no frills or studs or any of those things that designers put on their bags to hike up the price. Toby grabbed her free hand as he led her out the door.

This was going to be some night.

…

He placed his hand on the handle of the passenger side door and yanked gently, opening it for Pam. She stepped in and sat down. Her mind was fuzzy. How had she somehow been tricked into this second date with him? It must have been his eyes. She was a notorious sucker for a pair of nice, sort of sad eyes.

He walked around the front of the car and stepped in. He fumbled around in his pocket, then cursed under his breath. He looked up at Pam. Those sad eyes.

"Sorry," he said.

"It's alright," she replied. "What's wrong? Can't find the keys?" Anything to not have to go on the date.

"No, no, I have the keys, it's just…" he looked down. "Would you mind if we stopped at my place for a minute? I think I left my wallet at home."

Pam sighed. "Sure. I don't mind." She would have to tell him at some point; she would just try to postpone it as long as possible. Her mind darted back to Jim, his laugh, his eyes, that weird face he made at work that only he could make. After all he had done for her, here she was, in the car with Toby, on a date. Well, it was certainly the last one they'd ever have.

The car pulled up in front of what must have been Toby's building. Pam opened her own door. Just as she was about to get out, Toby walked around the front of the car.

"Here, Pam," he said, extending his arm to help her up.

"No, thanks," Pam said, hoisting herself out of the car. She didn't need any help. Especially from someone she didn't even like that much.

They stepped into the elevator. Pam stood in one corner, putting about two feet of distance between herself and Toby.

_Maybe if I act strangely enough, he won't want to do this again,_ she thought. It was worth a shot. Pam's method of getting what she wanted had always been avoiding confrontations, which, admittedly, never worked out very well. The one time that she had actually said what she meant to, she convinced herself afterwards that it was blatant stupidity caused by extreme foot pain.

"Sorry I had to drag you up here," said Toby. She heard the elevator ding, announcing that they had come to the second floor. Toby had pressed five. This would take a long time.

"It's no problem, really," said Pam. She looked down at her feet. Yes, she had felt like an idiot, but she got what she wanted after all, even if it took a while.

"I promise, this will only take a second." Ding. Third floor.

"It's okay, I think I can wait that long." Toby chuckled. _Stop it, _thought Pam. _You'll make him think you like him._

_Well, that's already been accomplished, by the looks of things._

_Yeah, but that was back when I __**did**__. _

_But you still do._

_A little, but Jim's more important._

_You thought that about Roy, remember?_

_But Roy was different. Roy would never have left that voicemail. He just would have yelled at me the next day for not picking up._

Ding. Fourth floor.

"I'm glad we could do this before you leave," said Toby. "I really missed you."

_He likes you a lot,_ Pam thought to herself. She did this a lot, where she would think to herself as if she was talking to another person. _You have to do something._

_Why? He's such a nice guy._

_What about Jim?_

Ding. Fifth floor. Toby held open the elevator door as Pam got out.

Toby led her down the hall to his apartment. He fumbled with the keys until he finally opened the door.

"Why don't you come in, Pam?" he said, holding open the door.

"Alright," she replied. What harm could it do, they were only going in long enough to get his wallet and go. She stepped inside.

It was a fairly small apartment. It was pretty plain except for the pictures that lined the walls. They were all of a smiling, light-haired little girl. In one of them, she was in a pink tutu, her leg extended behind her. In another, she was holding up a Barbie doll to whom she had given what looked like her first hair cut. Pam giggled. She remembered mutilating the hair of her own dolls when she was a kid.

"Damn it," said Toby, looking up from a little bin he had bent over. "I can't find it. I thought for sure it would be in here."

"That's okay," said Pam, putting her bag down on the coffee table. "We'll find it. I'll help."

"Thanks, Pam," said Toby. Pam started looking. She saw that most of his small things were put into little bins. She began to dig through the biggest one.

"Hey, Toby," she said, pulling out a small, bubble-wrapped teacup. "Is this a remnant of your finer-things-club days?"

"Oh, yeah," Toby said, taking the cup. "My daughter likes playing with it, so I kept it around for her."

"That's so cute," said Pam. "She likes playing tea party?"

"Um, no," said Toby. "She likes wearing it as a hat." Pam giggled, then turned her attention back to the bin. Something shiny caught her eye. She pulled it out.

It was a picture frame. Inside was a picture of Toby holding hands with a smiling brunette woman. Pam realized that it must have been Amy, his ex-girlfriend. She put the picture down before Toby could see it. It was then that she saw what she had been looking for: A small, slightly beat-up leather wallet.

"Is this it?" asked Pam, standing up with the wallet in hand.

"Yeah, it is," said Toby, reaching taking it out of her hand. "Thanks, Pam. Sorry we had to do this."

"It's no problem," said Pam. "It's only seven fifteen. You live pretty close to me, I never realized."

"Well, we have seven thirty reservations, so we had better go now," said Toby. He walked to the door and held it open for Pam.

"Thanks, Toby," she said. She suddenly realized that she couldn't keep joking with him and letting him open doors for her if she wanted this to be their last date. He followed behind her. When they got into the elevator, Pam went back over to the same corner. She stood there, looking at her feet, as the elevator made its slow journey down to the lobby.

…

"Crap," said Pam, getting out of the car. She had made sure to open her own door and get out on he own.

"What is it?" asked Toby, standing near her. He had offered to help her, and she had turned him down. The less date-like this seemed, the better.

"Nothing," said Pam, "I just think I left my bag at your place."

"It's no big deal," said Toby. "We'll go back and get it before I drop you off."

"All right," said Pam, realizing that this meant she would have to go home with him. She followed Toby into the restaurant, hoping with all her heart that Jim wouldn't be there.

…

"How do you like your food?" asked Toby. They had gotten their food about ten minutes ago. Pam had been exercising her ability to keep conversation to a minimum. That way, she figured, it wasn't cheating, it was just eating.

Cheating. She hated that word. She hated it even more knowing that it was exactly what she was doing. She never wanted to be the type of girl who cheated. And she had never meant to cheat on Jim. She had been angry with him, yes, but the idea of lying to him didn't sound exciting anymore. It sounded stupid and evil and just plain wrong.

"It's pretty good," she replied. She took another sip of water. Toby had asked if she wanted wine, but she reminded him he would be driving later. She wasn't really worried about that. She just didn't want to get drunk and do anything she would regret later.

"So how was work today?" asked Toby, trying to spark a conversation like he had been doing all night.

"It was…um…" said Pam. There were really no good words to describe the kind of day she had.

"Chaotic?"

"Dramatic." That was a good one.

"What happened?" asked Toby, putting down his fork and listening. The least she could do for someone that interested was explain her day.

"Well," she said, "We found out who the father of Jan's kid is."

"Who?" said Toby. Since he technically wasn't in HR anymore, he was technically allowed to ask about stuff like this.

"Hunter," said Pam.

"I knew it," said Toby. He laughed. "Didn't we all?"

"Totally," said Pam. She took another sip of water. She checked her watch. It was nine o'clock. If she went to the bathroom and called Jim now she could make it believable that she was too tired for him to come over but that she had still gotten his voicemail, she felt the same way, and that she would try to see him the next morning. Really, all of that was true except for the part about being too tired.

"I have to go to the bathroom," said Pam. She stood up. So did Toby.

"Come back soon," said Toby, only sitting down when she had left.

…

Jim sat on his couch, watching the same old reruns from years and years ago. He had called Pam two fricking hours ago and she hadn't responded. He would have liked anything, an "I got your message," an "It's okay," or even a "Screw you," really, as long as he could somehow know that she was all right and that she wasn't on a date with another guy.

_I would kind of deserve that, wouldn't I? _thought Jim. He heard the infamous laugh track come on, the laugh track that symbolized that whatever had just been said really wasn't all that funny. If it had been funny, it wouldn't need a laugh track to tell people when to laugh.

He looked at his phone. _Maybe I should call._

_Nah, then she'll think I think she's cheating._

_But I do, kind of._

_Serves me right if she is._

_I just want to make sure she's okay._

_Maybe she'll call._

Another laugh track. Why hadn't she responded.

…

"Shit," said Pam, softly. "I left my phone at Toby's." She unlocked the door and walked out of the stall. This would be an even longer night than she thought.

…

"Hey, Pam," Toby said, standing up to greet her as she came back to the table.

"Hi, Toby," she said, sitting back down. Toby sat down after she had. She looked down and noticed her food was gone.

"I tried to tell them you weren't done," said Toby. "They didn't believe me."

"It's okay," said Pam. "I was pretty much finished anyway.

"I think the restaurant's closing," said Toby. "They already gave me the check. They're cleaning off tables."

"We're the last people here," said Pam, looking around at the empty restaurant. "Let's go." Toby left some money on the table, and they walked out of the restaurant.

…

Here we are," said Toby. They had gone to his apartment building and waited in the torturously slow elevator. They had just arrived at his apartment. Toby found the key and opened the door. It took just as much fumbling as it had the last time.

"I think I left it on the coffee table," said Pam, entering the apartment. She spotted the black bag, sitting on the coffee table. "There it is." She went over to get it.

"Wait, Pam," said Toby. "Sit down. I just…I want to talk a bit."

"Toby, I…"

"Please." Pam looked up. She looked at those sad eyes again. She owed him at least a reason why they couldn't be together. Besides, he was her ride home.

"All right." Toby sat on the couch. Pam sat down after him, placing herself about a foot away.

"So," Toby said, "You're going to art school soon."

"Yeah," Pam said. "I start Monday, actually."

"Pretty hectic last day of work, huh?"

"You have no idea." She hadn't told him about Michael's assumption of she and Jim had done the night before. She hadn't told him about Dwight and Angela. He truly had no idea what kind of day she had.

"I missed you a lot, you know," he said. He placed his hand on her thigh. She had to get out of this.

"Toby, I-"

"I was thinking, I don't have to go to Costa Rica," said Toby. "I mean, you'll be going to New York, maybe I'll go too."

"Toby, listen, I-"

"I really like you, Pam," he said. He started to lean in. He was dangerously close. She had to do this, now.

"I really like you too, Toby, but-"

Before she could protest any farther, his lips were on hers.

* * *

Cliff hanger! I know, I'm evil, right? I hated myself for even typing that last part, to be honest. Please review!


	7. Escape

* * *

Sorry for not updating sooner, I know how evil you all think I am for ending chapter 6 like that.

Again, I do not own The Office, living rooms, etc., but I do own the Sheinhardt Wig Company T-shirt I am wearing right now. (Why don't they have a 30 Rock category for fanfics? I could do such an awesome JIZ (Jack/Liz)

* * *

Pam pulled away from the kiss. Toby looked at her inquisitively, with disappointment, trying to figure out what was wrong.

Pam looked down, then back up at Toby.

"Toby, listen, I just…"

"Just what?" He wasn't angry. More like hurt.

"I can't, Toby. I just can't do this."

Toby looked at her, his eyes peering into hers, searching for an answer.

"Why not, Pam?"

"Toby, it's not you, it's just…I mean, you're sweet, but…Toby, look, I…I just can't…Jim…"

Toby sat up straight. He had gotten an answer, even if he didn't like it.

"You really like Jim, huh?"

Pam looked up a Toby. "Yeah, I do."

Toby looked down. This was hard for him, she could tell. She hadn't wanted to do this. She watched him shake his head, not believing what he had heard. He raised his head and looked at her, straight in the eye.

"Pam, look, I'm just…" he laughed a little. "I've always liked you, Pam."

"Toby," she said, trying to go easy on him while also trying not to give the wrong idea. "I like you to, but not-"

His lips landed on hers again. She struggled, but didn't force her way out this time. She didn't want to hurt him any more than she already had. Instead, she sat there, struggling slightly, while his tongue crept down her throat. She felt his hands wrap around her lower back, pulling her closer. She hadn't wanted it to go anything like this. The last thing she wanted was to be sitting on Toby's couch with his tongue down her throat while Jim sat at home and wondered while she hadn't called. But she knew that if she pulled away, she would hurt him, and that was more than she could handle.

His cold, long fingers crept under her shirt and started to climb up her back. This was a desperate situation if she had ever seen one. She thought of Jim, how he would react if he knew she had cheated, how he wouldn't want to speak to her again. That thought, the thought of Jim leaving her forever, pushed her over the edge. She had to get out.

She felt Toby's hands climb up her back, higher and higher, until she felt a tug at her bra. She pulled away sharply, no longer caring about hurting Toby.

Toby looked shocked. "Pam, I-"

She stood up and grabbed her bag off the coffee table.

"Pam, I'm sorry, I-"

She walked briskly towards the door.

"Pam, wait!" He ran to the door. He had to stop her.

"Bye, Toby," she said. She opened the door let it slam in Toby's shocked face.

* * *

Sorry about the shortness of that chapter, but I felt like it was such an important moment that it had to be it's own. Will Jim find out? If he does, how will he react? Only YOU have the power to ensure that the world will ever find out, by reviewing!


	8. Email

You guys rock. Seriously, 6 reviews for one chapter? You guys are the best.

Now, onto some of your concerns. I am not out to make anyone dislike Toby. I know that he went a little OOC in the last chapter, but can you really blame the guy? The girl he was crazy about was sitting right next to him and no one else was around. Everyone in this story messes up at some point. I know it seems weird to have Pam cursing, but we've only seen her at work, and people filter at work. (I know – I've seen my potty-mouthed mom at her job.) I know she was being stupid in the first place, and now she knows that, too.

As always, I do not own The Office, email, or revenge, but I do own a cupcake which is looking very delicious right now…

* * *

Pam shivered. It was an unusually cold night, and she was walking herself home. What was normally a fifteen minute drive was shaping up to be an hour's walk. At least she knew the way home.

Pam checked her watch. It was ten o'clock already. She wouldn't get home until ten thirty, and by then it would be too late to call Jim. She sighed.

_Stupid Toby,_ she thought. But she knew it wasn't his fault. It was hers. She had been the one who had overreacted to Jim's jokes, and she had been the one who agreed to go on not one, but two dates with Toby.

_Great job,_ she thought, _you've successfully hurt two guys who didn't do anything wrong. Especially Jim. He was just trying to make you laugh!_

Pam quickened her pace as she walked past the convenience store. She had to get home faster.

_I don't care if Jim __**never**__ proposes, I just want him to forgive me._

…

Pam arrived home at ten thirty two. She turned on the light and put her bag down on the small table near the door. A small beep came from her phone, a beep that could only mean that someone had called during her date. Pam reached into her bag and grabbed the phone.

**3 missed calls.**

_3?_ She thought, guiltily. _I bet they're all from Jim. _She was right. Three missed calls, all from Jim, each ten minutes after the last.

Pam sighed. Jim really cared about her if her had called all these times. She couldn't stand lying to him anymore. It had always been hard to lie to someone she loved.

She sat down at her computer, a cheap, old model from at least eight years ago. She would have to replace it soon, but she didn't have the money. She waited patiently while the Internet started up and brought her to her email. No new messages. It was okay. She wasn't there to check.

She hit the little button that said "Compose." Now came the hard part.

**Dear Jim,**

Pam sighed. This was harder than she thought.

**I'm really sorry about how I've been acting the last few days. I don't know what got into me.**

She read over that last line, then erased it. It was a lie. She knew exactly what got into her.

**I'm really sorry about how I've been acting the last few days. I just hope you can forgive me when I tell you what happened. I love you, and I hate lying to you.**

Pam stared at the word "lying." She hated that word with all her heart.

**When I was late for our date on Wednesday night, I hadn't run out to get milk. I was actually meeting Toby to catch up over coffee. He called right after we had our first argument. It wasn't supposed to be a date. Maybe that's what he intended, but I didn't want it to be like that. I ended up going on a second date with him, which I can't believe I did. I don't know why I would have ever risked losing you. **

She stopped. She read over that last paragraph two or three times. It wasn't pleasant writing, and it was even less pleasant reading, but it had to be said.

**Jim, listen, please don't get mad. I got your voicemail right before I met him the second time and I was trying to end it the whole time, but I just couldn't. You know I'm a pushover. But I ended it.**

She stopped again. She could just picture Jim opening the email, reading it, and vowing never to talk to her again.

**Jim, I'm sorry, I really am. I know I can't make you forgive me, but I can try. Jim, if this was it for us, I'd regret it for the rest of my life.**

Pam smiled. Where had she heard that before? Oh yeah: in Jim's voicemail.

**I know that's what you said in your voicemail. I just wanted you to know that I feel the exact same way, even if you're too mad at me to still feel it. I love you. I'm not just saying that. **

**Love,**

**Pam**

Pam clicked "Send" before she could read it over. She knew that if she read it over, she would edit it, soften it up, maybe throw in a few lies. She was sick of lying.

She got up and walked to her room. Her train to New York was scheduled to leave the next day. Nothing left to do now but pack.

…

It was midnight, and Jim couldn't sleep. Pam hadn't replied to any of his calls, and she was leaving the next day. He couldn't bear it if she left for three months and came back still mad at him or, worse, with another boyfriend. He pushed those thoughts out of his head. He wanted to sleep tonight.

At one o'clock, Jim decided that there was no way that he would ever sleep that night if he wasn't positive that nothing had happened to Pam. He groggily got out of bed and went to his computer. Maybe the voicemail hadn't gotten through. He felt pretty confident that an email would.

Jim was surprised to see that there was an email from Pam sent two and a half hours ago in his inbox. He clicked on it, hoping for something saying she forgave him, maybe a goodbye.

Jim read the email three times to make sure he wasn't misinterpreting anything. Pam had seen Toby. Pam had gone on _two_ dates with him. He had called her asking her out when he very well knew that she was dating someone.

_I have to do something,_ he thought. _I have to make it so that Pam couldn't date Toby even if she wanted to._

* * *

Suspense! I hope the bold didn't confuse anyone. Anything in bold was either her email or the little screen on the phone. Just clearing it up. Review! Chapter 9 is what I planned this whole story around!


	9. Abducted

Thank you, my wonderful reviewers! As of writing this, I got 6 (!) reviews for chapter 8! Thank you to those who supplied constructive criticism as well. I responded privately to those who had problems with this story, and I hope you find my responses satisfactory.

WARNING: This chapter is a little far-fetched, and Jim goes a little OOC. You never know how far a character will go to get what they want. You have been warned.

Alright, no more stalling. Here it is, the last chapter, the purpose of this whole story.

As always, I do not own The Office, sleeping pills, nightmares, cars, the like.

* * *

_"Jim," she pleaded, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"_

_"You didn't mean to what, Pam?" he shouted back. "Pam, I can't believe you would do that to me!"_

_"Jim, please," she said. Tears were running down her cheeks.. "Please try to understand. I love you. I was acting like an idiot, and-"_

_"Damn right you were!" Jim shouted. "Why didn't you tell me that Toby made a move on you?"_

_"Jim," she said, "I'm sorry, I-"_

"_You cheated on me, Pam!" He yelled, "With Toby!"_

_"Jim, I didn't mean to-"_

_"Forget it! Just forget it! And to think I wanted to marry you!"_

_"Jim-"_

_"Don't 'Jim' me!" He turned around and stormed away, muttering, "I'm going to fix Toby, alright…"_

_"Jim!" she yelled, but he was already long gone. _

Pam awoke with a jolt. It was one in the morning. It had all been a bad dream.

_That explains why I was wearing a wedding dress, _Pam thought. She laughed. Her dreams had always been a little bit out there.

Pam realized that there was no way she'd fall asleep again without a little help. She didn't have nightmares often, but when she did, they would keep her up thinking about them for hours. She couldn't afford that if she wanted to be awake enough for everything she would have to do the next day. She wandered into the bathroom and flicked on the light.

_I can't see a thing, _she thought, reaching for what she thought must have been her glasses on the sink. She slipped them on.

_Much better, _she thought. She opened the cabinet, reached for the sleeping pills, and pulled out one pill. She swallowed it and put the bottle back. Half an hour later, she was asleep.

…

Jim stood outside the apartment building. He took a deep breath. What he was about to do was risky, maybe even illegal. He thought of Pam, who was probably asleep. He thought of Toby, who had tried to date Pam even knowing she had a boyfriend. The thought of the two of them ever being together made his blood boil.

He took another deep breath and stepped inside.

…

_"Jim, I told you, I'm sorry, it was all my-"_

_"Pam, I can't take this anymore!"_

_"Jim," she said, her eyes watery. "Jim, please. Please try to under-"_

_"I can't believe I left Karen for you!"_

_Pam felt as though a dagger had been thrown through her heart. She looked down at her chest to find the handle of a knife protruding from it. She fell to the ground as Jim stormed away._

Pam awoke again, but kept her eyes closed. Maybe she would be able to fall asleep again.

_Just another dream,_ she thought, _It was all just a stupid dream. _

She tried to sit up, then realized she was already sitting, her back against some kind of cushioned surface, her feet on the floor. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes.

She saw a blur of green and blue and brown. Not just a blur, but a _moving_ blur.

Pam took a deep breath. _Stay calm,_ she thought. _See if you can get up. _She tried, but some kind of restraint was keeping her in place.

_Oh my God, _she thought, _have I been sleepwalking? Where am I?_

She looked around, but everything was a blur.

"Morning, sunshine," a familiar voice said.

She turned to face the sound.

It was Jim.

…

"So," said Jim, "What do you want for breakfast? I think there's a convenience store somewhere around here."

"Jim," said Pam, slightly panicked. "Where are we? What happened? I can't see a thing!"

"Oh, right," said Jim. He grabbed a pair of glasses out of a compartment and handed them to Pam.

"Thanks," Pam said, slipping them on. She looked around and realized that they were in a moving car, flying down a highway.

"Jim! What the hell is going on?" Her pulse became rapid.

"Lovely day, don't you think?"

"Jim," said Pam, "Tell me why you kidnapped me!"

"Whoa, Pam, that's a serious accusation," said Jim.

"Why am I being held hostage in your car going God-knows-were?"

"I know where we're going, and I'm pretty sure I'm not God," said Jim, smiling.

"Then where _are_ we going? And why did you grab me in the middle of the night?"

"You're not going to like this," said Jim. His expression became serious.

"It doesn't matter. You're going to tell me. Or else."

"Pretty threatening language for someone who didn't have the heart to break it off with Toby until the last minute, huh?"

Pam sighed. He knew. "Jim, I'm sorry, I-"

"It's okay," Jim said. "Really. It's all taken care of."

Pam relaxed, then panicked again. What did he mean, "taken care of?"

"Jim," Pam said carefully, "You still haven't told me why I'm here."

"Right. Getting to that," he said. "You sure you're not hungry? There's a gas station right here and I bet I could get you a donut or something."

"I'm on a diet," said Pam, "And anyway, you have to tell me. Now."

"Alright, alright," said Jim. "I…I really don't know how I'm going to tell you this, Pam. I hate hearing it myself."

"Jim," she said. "I think I have a right to know, considering you practically abducted me in the middle of the night."

"Alright," said Jim. He sighed. "Last night, I read your email, and I got really angry."

"Jim, look, I-"

"It's alright, Pam, I told you, it's fine. But at the time, I was really upset. So I had a beer and tried to forget it."

"One beer?" asked Pam.

"More like four, eventually," said Jim. Pam didn't like where this was going. "So, I got really drunk, and I decided I had to take action. So, I… you sure you want to hear this?" Pam nodded.

"Well, you know how Alan goes camping a lot?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, he has an axe so he can chop wood and everything," said Jim. "It's a little weird, I know, but-"

"We're getting off the subject," said Pam.

"Okay, alright," said Jim. "Anyway, he keeps the axe in my closet because he doesn't have room. So, I was really drunk, and not acting like myself, so I grabbed the axe and decided to…take care of things." He blurted out. "Pam, I can't believe I did that. It's just…I don't know, I just kept thinking of the two of you. Well, I don't really know what I was thinking, I was so drunk and…I wish I hadn't done it."

"Jim," Pam said, softly, "Are you trying to tell me that you…killed Toby?"

"I'm pretty sure," said Jim. "Pam, I'm sorry, I don't know what got-"

"Jim!" yelled Pam. She took a deep breath, but couldn't calm down. "So what's next on your list? Murder, kidnapping, what are we going to do now, rob a bank?"

"Yeah," said Jim, "then we're going to swim through the sewers to escape, then we're going to brush our teeth."

"Very funny, Jim," said Pam. She was shaking. "I can't believe you would…oh my God…Toby…" She tried to calm down. "So why did you kidnap me? Couldn't just stop the crime spree?"

"Well," said Jim, "After I…you know…" Pam winced. "I passed out from all the alcohol. So then I woke up with a killer hangover at about four in the morning, and I found the…remains," Pam winced again. "I realized what I must have done, and I knew I had to get out of the country."

"So you took me along for the ride?"

"Pam, look, I took you because I can't imagine life without you," he said. Pam rolled her eyes. "Look, we're going to Canada, and I think that while we're there, we should get married."

Pam sat back in her seat. She smiled. _I am such an idiot, falling for my own story, _she thought, remembering that night on the park bench where this all started. She laughed.

"So, how 'bout it?"

"Ask me again, Halpert," she said. She had specifically said that she would have to turn him down if this happened.

"Will do," said Jim, pulling over to the side of the road. He unbuckled his seat belt and fished around in his pocket, eventually pulling out a small, black box he had been carrying around for months. He got down on one knee on the floor of the car.

"Pam," he said, looking up at her, "Will you marry me?"

"Absofruitly," said Pam, smiling. Jim slid the ring on her finger as she squealed softly. He got up, buckled his seat belt, and drove back onto the road.

"So, we're going to get married," said Jim. Pam was still admiring the new ring.

"You bet, Halpert," said Pam. "But first, tell me where we're _really_ going."

"So you didn't believe the Toby story?" said Jim.

"Jim, I came up with the Toby story," said Pam, still smiling.

"Fair enough," said Jim. "Well, we're going to New York to spend your first weekend there as our first weekend as an engaged couple."

"That is so sweet," said Pam. "What are we going to do there?"

"The usual," said Jim. "I'll teach you how to second-act a play, if you want." And with that, they drove off into their new life.

* * *

He took care of it, alright! Kudos to those who guessed it, Ha-ha to those who didn't, and thank you to ALL of my wonderful reviewers! Please review this chapter so I know if I should write a sequel! (By the way: Business Ethics will be back in action next week!)


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